


I could have danced all night (and still have begged for more)

by commander_karnstein



Category: Carmilla (Web Series)
Genre: F/F, F/M, HPAU, I wrote this in like March, It's Yule Ball time
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-10-04
Updated: 2015-10-04
Packaged: 2018-04-24 16:55:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,687
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4927624
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/commander_karnstein/pseuds/commander_karnstein
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In which the Scooby gang is all in seventh year, and the Yule Ball just happens to roll around.</p>
            </blockquote>





	I could have danced all night (and still have begged for more)

Professor Longbottom tells them about the Yule Ball about a month before Christmas, when Laura is sitting next to Perry in the Hufflepuff commons, wondering how Carmilla is going to take this kind of news. A ball. Laura's heart begins to race at the thought of Carmilla asking her to dance, lips pressing to Laura's hand in invitation. She's not even sure Carmilla would want to go, and she's already imagined an entire night for the pair of them. Typical.

 

Perry starts asking already about whether or not Laura thinks LaFontaine would prefer to see her hair up or down. Laura quickly reassures her that LaFontaine has pretty much loved her since they were eleven years old and that she won't have to worry about her hair. They're always impressed with everything about her.

 

She'd feel more inclined to help if she thought it was a real problem, and Laura's got her own significant other to worry about.

\--

 

There are a few days left, and Laura is almost completely sure that she's not going to ask. LaFontaine is talking about the "bitchin, brand new" dress robes they're having sent in from home, and Perry watches intently, holding their hand where they're all sitting together in one of the corridors. Carmilla's head rests in Laura's lap lazily while Carmilla reads, her green and silver tie resting over her shoulder. Laura huffs quietly, rolling her eyes a little. Carmilla's been her girlfriend since that lovely first kiss after Charms class at the end of fourth year, and they're happy. Even though the Yule Ball doesn't necessarily seem like Carmilla's scene, it would really be nice to be asked. Carmilla seems to have noticed the small sigh, and she rests her book on her chest to look up at Laura, who runs a hand through her hair in a sort of melodramatic distress.

 

"Something the matter, buttercup?" She sounds vaguely concerned, and Laura sighs quietly and begins to focus on passive aggressively straightening Carmilla's tie.

 

"Nothing's the matter at all." Carmilla isn't convinced and sits up, then dragging Laura away whilst leaving their things with Perry and LaFontaine. There's an emptier corner at the end of the corridor, and Carmilla has yet to let go of her hand, and the way her thumb rubs so lightly over Laura's hand is endearing. It's already hard to be so frustrated with Carmilla, which is really annoying.

 

"Are you actually going to voice your frustrations now that we're as alone as we're going to get at the moment?" Carmilla stares into Laura, and it's very obvious that she can always see when Laura is upset. Laura sighs again, looking down at her own yellow tie, noticing that it too is a little out of place but electing to ignore it because it's probably stupid now.

 

"Everybody's talking about the Yule Ball, and I...well...we've been together for a long time, and...are you just not going to ask me?"

 

Laura expects some sort of big glare or scoff and an explanation that the whole idea of a ball is stupid and "not my idea of a good time, cupcake." Instead, she's greeted by an eye roll from her girlfriend, who has let go of her hand. Carmilla runs that hand through her curls and lets out a breath that sounds half like a laugh.

 

"You know, cutie, you make it incredibly difficult to surprise you." Carmilla looks almost frustrated with Laura, who's entirely confused. Carmilla must pick up on this, because she sighs again and grabs onto Laura's hand. She drags her down the corridor, and Laura is a little concerned for the safety of her shoulder--Carmilla is incredibly strong--until they stop in front of their friends, who seem engrossed in a textbook together. Carmilla shoots them a glance, and LaFontaine's eyes widen before they elbow Perry, who comes up with some excuse as to why they're running off. Carmilla reaches easily into her bag, pulling out a box of chocolate frogs and a sunflower seed. Laura's immediately excited at the sight of the chocolates but still confused about the seed.

 

"Open your hand." Laura complies, and Carmilla presses the seed into her hand. She pulls her wand--12 inches, cherry wood, dragon heartstring--out of her left pocket and points it at the seed. She murmurs some spell, and the seed grows into a huge bouquet of sunflowers, Laura's favorite. Laura can feel the grin blossoming across her face.

 

"Even though I am obviously offended that you didn't think I would even ask, Laura Hollis, would you do me the honor of accompanying me to the Yule Ball?"  
Laura ignore the heat that rushes to her cheeks, practically feeling the color rush through them. Carmilla looks at her with these wide eyes that she loves-she's loved them for a long time-and Laura looks back to the flowers in her hand.

 

"I was beginning to worry that you'd never ask." There's a shy smile painting Carmilla's pretty, thin lips, and Laura leans forward to kiss her pretty, pretty girlfriend, arms wrapped around Carmilla's waist as they completely ignore the passersby. When Carmilla pulls away, she narrows her eyes a little, poking Laura's cheek.

 

"You seriously thought that I wouldn't ask you?" Carmilla tilts her head, playing with Laura's low hanging ponytail. "Your lack of faith in me is astounding, Miss Hollis."

 

"A ball? With the rest of the school older than fourth year? Because that totally sounds like something you'd like to do." Laura scoffs, opening the chocolate frogs and offering one to her. Carmilla looks down at her shoes for a second.

 

"I knew you wanted to go." She's a little quiet before gaining her smug charm back. "And besides, I can't wait to show up the Jolly Red Giant and those other champions."  
"You know I'm not a very good dancer."

 

"You'll be the most beautiful girl in the room, so your penchant for stepping on my toes won't be on people's minds."

 

Laura's face breaks into the shyest of smiles, and she averts her eyes to her shoes, pushing at Carmilla's shoulder with a giggle. But Carmilla pulls her closer and kisses her again, holding tightly to a girl whose heart she's held for something that feels vaguely similar to forever.

\--

 

It's absolutely frigid outside, which has Carmilla standing incredibly close to Laura when they're walking through Hogsmeade the Saturday just before the ball. They're getting ready to sit down for a butterbeer with Perry and LaF (who has yet to stop talking in the most animated of fashions about the accident that happened in the day before in their Potions class) when Carmilla chastely kisses Laura on the lips.

 

"I have errands to run, but I'll see you soon." Carmilla winks, straightening Laura's cap.

 

"Um... I can't come with you?" Laura's already a little confused, and Carmilla shakes her head.

 

"That's a negative, buttercup. Have a butterbeer with your friends. I’ll be right back.” Carmilla kisses her forehead and squeezes her hand before walking off languidly in the opposite direction. Laura sort of hmphs before turning back to her friends with her eyebrows raised.

 

“Weirdo.” She mumbles, sitting down across from LaF and Perry. She spies a boy from her house named Noah Finnigan in a booth across the way his arm around some girl Laura can’t make out because her head it turned. Noah notices Laura, smiles, and waves, which seems to catch the attention of the girl he’s with. She turns her head to scowl, it seems, before her features soften into a smile. The Head Girl of Slytherin House, Alex O’Hara, waves to her. She’s one of Carmilla’s friends from Slytherin’s Quidditch team--the only one, actually, seeing as Carmilla doesn’t exactly know how to play nice all the time. She’s this little thing, a usually brunette metamorphmagus, who’s probably the best beater at the entire school. Laura thinks for a moment that maybe she knows something of Carmilla’s mysterious “errands” but decides against asking because it’s probably nothing to worry about. Scratch that. It’s definitely nothing to worry about.

 

“L.” LaFontaine’s voice shakes her out of whatever has her so occupied, and she looks up. There’s a waitress trying to ask them what they’d all like to order.

 

“Oh, a butterbeer with some shaved ginger, please.” Laura kind of sputters out, and the waitress smiles and walks away. She feels Perry’s eyes on her before she even makes eye contact, and her dear friend looks mightily concerned.

 

“What has you so distracted, Laura?” She asks in a motherly tone that is all-too-familiar to everyone at the table.

 

“Just my incredibly cryptic girlfriend and her errand that she’s currently running for which I wasn’t allowed to accompany her. I mean, seriously?” Laura can feel the rambling begin to bubble up in her throat. LaFontaine reaches a hand across the table and they grab one of Laura’s.

 

“You are actually ridiculous.” They say flat out with no preface. “You’ve been dating Carmilla for something close to three years. It feels longer than that anyway, doesn’t it? You two are absolutely gross in the best kind of way. Why are you so worried about this?”

 

Laura deflates a little. It’s not like she’s suspicious of Carmilla--she knows that Carmilla would never...she doesn’t even like to think about it for fear that it would seem as though she was considering it as some sort of possibility when it clearly is not. She just doesn’t necessarily like all of the secrecy. She knows she’ll eventually come around to talking to her.

 

The bell on the door that signals entrance rings around fifteen minutes later just as their butterbeers have arrived, and Carmilla strolls in, hands in her pockets and traces of pink in her cheeks. Laura sighs in relief and grins, watching Carmilla look around, waving to Noah and Alex--who sticks her tongue out before smiling and leaning her head on Noah's shoulder--before spying Laura, LaF, and Perry at their usual table. She sits down next to Laura, reaching for her free hand beneath the table. For someone who can't stand cold weather, Carmilla is absolutely ridiculous, Laura thinks, in that she refuses to wear gloves or mittens or anything of that nature ("Well, when I get to hold your cute little hand, cupcake, I don't need mittens." Which had probably been a facetious statement but was cute none the less.) Her fingers are freezing as usual, and so are her lips when Laura leans over and kisses her soundly and slowly, though stopping before getting to be too inappropriate.

 

“What was that for?” Carmilla whispers with a raised eyebrow when Laura pulls away. “Not that I am complaining even in the slightest.”

 

“Nothing. I just missed you.”

 

“I was gone for fifteen minutes.” Laura sees this as her opportunity to ask questions, hoping that she won’t come off as the nosey girlfriend who can’t stay out of her significant other’s business.

 

“Where’d you go?” She asks, resting her chin on Carmilla’s shoulder, feeling the slight movement when Carmilla’s quiet laughter reverberates through her body.

 

“Nowhere. Everywhere.” She’s so ridiculous and difficult sometimes, and Laura’s brow furrows together when she scowls. “That bunched up face you make when you’re frustrated is hilarious, buttercup. Don’t worry. You’ll find out in due time.” Laura takes that as her answer, and she can hear LaFontaine and Perry discussing their ensembles for the Ball when she takes a sip of butterbeer, offering some to Carmilla, who shakes her head.

 

“So, what are you going to wear to the Ball?” Carmilla smirks at the question, playing with Laura’s fingers under the table.

 

“Full of questions today, sweetheart. You should consider taking a job at the Daily Prophet after we’ve all finished here.”

 

“I was just wondering, Carm.” Laura smiles a little, despite herself.

 

“Once again, you will find out in due time. It’s a surprise.”

 

Laura thinks she’ll look beautiful in anything that she wears because, she’s decided, that there’s not a single person in the world more beautiful than Carmilla. She considers telling her that but then figures she’ll save it for the Ball.

 

You know, to be romantic, or something.

\--

 

Laura doesn't realize how late it's gotten until she's helping Perry with her earrings and hears the chiming of the clock in the dormitory that tells her that they've got about twenty minutes to be downstairs and in the Great Hall for the champions' dance.

 

"Oh, my, is it that late?" Perry jumps up from her seat on Laura's bed. "We'd best get going."

 

Laura whirls around from where she's standing and looks in the mirror, running her hands over her torso in an effort to smooth the nonexistent wrinkles in her gown. Perry had let out an ungodly shriek of delight when Laura had stepped out from behind the changing curtain they'd set up, but Laura was still nervous as to how Carmilla would feel about it. Perry had reassured her time and again over the course of the three hours in which they'd been getting ready that her gown was perfect ("Carmilla doesn't seem to like much of anything most of the time, but she adores you, and she's going to adore that dress.") The sparkling gold applique shines in the light of the dormitory where it lay against the layers of white tulle that made her ball gown. Laura reaches up to pull up her dress, making sure its sweetheart neckline didn't reveal too much that she certainly isn't willing to show anyone who isn't Carmilla. She moves her hair to rest over her collarbones, the loose curls tickling her exposed skin when Perry grabs her arm and yanks her towards the door.

 

"Okay, we are really going to be late." Perry says in a strict tone of voice that worries Laura only slightly. It's something to which she's become completely accustomed. It was a four or five minute walk to the Great Hall if the staircases weren't acting up, so they're already cutting it close, high heels, ball gowns, and all. LaFontaine is there waiting outside the hall with a grin on their face, looking kind of fantastic in their dress robes. Perry kisses them on the lips with a squeal and a grin, very obviously about to burst with excitement, while Laura looks around for her girlfriend, who is, at the moment, nowhere to be found. Laura anxiously twirls her hair around her fingers, listening to her friends babble on about how excited they are to go inside and see all of the fabulous decor.

 

"What's the face for, creampuff? Did you really think I would blow you off on a night like tonight?" There's a voice filling her ears, one she's become quite accustomed to--one she loves--coming from behind her, so Laura whirls around, cheeks beginning to hurt from the wide grin that spreads across her face.

 

Laura doesn't realize she's not breathing properly until she hears a "Um, L...take a breath." from LaFontaine, and it's because Carmilla has absolutely knocked the wind out of her. There are thin straps covering a part of her shoulders, black and sparkling like the rest of the bodice. It's like she's covered in black petals, small transparencies revealing little bits of her pale skin, and the skirt of the ball gown is huge and ruffled. Her hair is tied back in a bun, leaving her neck--Laura's favorite spot to kiss--completely exposed. Her lips are a deep, striking red, and she's grinning, which warms Laura in a way she can't even begin to describe.

 

"You look..." Laura tries to find the words, reaching out to hold the curve of Carmilla's waist. "So, so beautiful, Carmilla." There were a million different adjectives running through her mind, since her girlfriend is the actual, literal definition of breathtaking, but beautiful seems to be just as good as any other.

 

"Well, love, I pale in comparison to you. I think my heart might have stopped beating." Carmilla winks, touching the hand on her waist. "Seriously, you're gorgeous."

 

Laura feels the heat and color that rush to her cheeks quickly, and she kisses Carmilla, forgoing keeping her lipstick perfect. She's just starting to melt into it, ready to drown in Carmilla before taking her inside and dancing in front of the whole school, when Carmilla pulls back.

 

"I have something for you." Carmilla says quietly, and Laura's eyes widen. "Hold out your hands and close your eyes."

 

Once again, Laura complies with the instructions, and there's a small, chilly piece of metal being pressed into her hand. She opens her eyes again, and there's a small, golden star shaped locket laying in her hand, an "L" engraved in what looks like Carmilla's loopy, gorgeous cursive handwriting on its face. Laura feels her eyes begin to burn and water, and she looks at Carmilla, who's smirking and nodding her head towards Laura in a gesture that says "Just open it and don't cry, goof." Laura clicks it open, and there's a picture that she remembers Perry taking one day that past summer of Carmilla and Laura laughing hysterically before Laura presses a kiss to Carmilla's alabaster cheek, quieting her completely before Carmilla looks at her with an overwhelming amount of warmth and love to which Laura has become completely accustomed and for which she constantly feels grateful.

 

It's Carmilla's quiet "Do you like it?" that makes her realize that she's not said anything, and she nods with a watery smile before looking up. Carmilla smiles and kisses Laura's knuckles.

 

"Put it on me?" Carmilla nods, and Laura turns around, gathering her hair in her hands while Carmilla clasps the necklace at the back of her neck. Carmilla leaves a lingering kiss on her shoulder. Laura turns to face her and kisses Carmilla's lips softly.

 

"I love you." She whispers before kissing her again. "I love you so much. Thank you."

 

"Anything for you, sundance." Carmilla grins, touching the locket where it falls on Laura's chest. "This is that errand that I was running in Hogsmeade in case you were still worried about me."

 

"I wish I had gotten you something." Laura moves Carmilla's bangs out from over her eyes. "You really shouldn't have. I mean, I'm never taking it off and really, really love it. But you didn't have to."

 

"The only thing I have to do is love you."

 

"That was lame. We're really going to be late." LaFontaine and Perry have actually left them, which means they've been entirely too wrapped up in one another when they have all night to do so at the Ball. Laura grabs Carmilla's hand, grinning. "Let's go!"

 

Carmilla's laughter is consistently Laura's absolute favorite sound in the world, especially tonight. She pulls her into the Great Hall, packed full of students and faculty from all three of the competing schools. It's not too dark at all, the whole room lit by floating lanterns and the stars on the ceiling. Everyone looks pretty great, Laura decides, but the girl on her arm beats everything. Seriously.

 

They take a seat together (more like, Laura pulls Carmilla over to a table while Carmilla looks up to the ceiling with a fondness in her eyes) across from Perry and LaF, all eyes fixed on the dance floor. Peter Beaumont--the Beauxbatons champion--steps out with a girl from his school with blonde hair that seems to go on for miles flowing down her back, which her dress doesn't cover. Aleksandr Draganov of Durmstrang Academy dances with a Gryffindor a year or two his junior, leaving the only female champion, one Miss Danny Lawrence to step out onto the floor last with her date for the night (and longtime significant other) Brody Kirsch. He looks quite handsome in his robes, and his dancing has gotten better since last summer at his sister's wedding when he crashed into the dessert table. He and Danny make a pretty good team, which is almost always surprising to just about everyone. Her hair is pinned back, and she wears red beautifully with its gold embellishments on the chest and bodice pairing nicely with the flower on Kirsch's robes.  
The champions and their respective dates do a nice job of not crashing into one another, and Danny and Kirsch greet them when they join the group at the table.

 

"You look so pretty, Laura." Danny smiles after pulling back from the hug she'd given Laura, who grins in return, feeling Carmilla's hand tighten in hers.

 

"Look but don't touch, Big Red. On second thought, don't look either." Carmilla scowls, receiving a smile and sign of surrender from Danny.

 

"Wouldn't dream of it. I have my own goofball. Sometimes, I wonder why." Danny glances at Kirsch, who immediately straightens in his seat.

 

"What do you mean you wonder why?" He looks hurt and sounds defensive, which saddens Laura the tiniest bit. Danny only grins and kisses his cheek.

 

"I was joking around." She leans forward, a loose grip on his lapels. "You look really good tonight."

 

"Dear God, please get a room." LaFontaine groans, granting a look and small shove from Perry. Carmilla shifts in her seat before standing and sort of bringing Laura along (this type of thing happens when one is practically joined at the hand to her girlfriend.)

 

"I would have to agree with Ginger Number One." Carmilla deadpans, looking around at their friends. "Now if you'll excuse us, I owe the lady a dance."

 

Laura blushes, and Perry smiles widely, LaF winking beside her, as Carmilla leads Laura to the dance floor. Carmilla smirks quietly and curves her hand around Laura's hip. Her fingers stay intertwined with Laura's, and she steps forward as they fall into a rhythm, Laura's chest pressed against hers.

 

"Face to face, chest to chest." Laura whispers, making sure to pay some attention to her movements and not step on Carmilla's toes or either of their dresses. "Just like our first dance."

 

"You're certainly much better than you were during our first dance, cupcake." Carmilla laughs just a bit.

 

"Not everyone is taught to waltz when they're not even old enough for school." Laura rolls her eyes and kisses Carmilla's cheek. "Have I told you how absolutely incredible you look tonight? I mean, it's all about so much more than how you look because you're so loving and smart and--"

 

"You could have stopped at my whole looking 'absolutely incredible.'" Carmilla laughs again.

 

"I don't just love you because of how you look."

 

"You remind me quite often, love." Carmilla's cheeks change color, and she looks at her shoes. Laura sees very little more important in the world than letting Carmilla know that she's loved.

 

"Maybe I just like to watch you squirm." Laura winks. "I'm a little surprised you're not wearing, like, a corset instead of a big fancy ball gown. That seems a little more like your style."

 

"I save my corsets just for you, sweetheart." She looks so smug that Laura just has to kiss the look off of her face. "Besides, I can be a little old-fashioned."

 

"Old-fashioned looks good on you."

 

"Not as good as it does on you."

 

"Oh, enough with the playful banter." Laura twirls Carmilla, watching the skirt of her dress flare out before she pulls Carmilla back to her chest, resisting the urge to kiss her again. "Just dance with me."

 

"I think I can manage that."

 

Laura finally sits down with the notion that her feet might very well be bleeding. Waltzing with Carmilla felt like something directly out of a dream, and when the band stopped playing the waltz, Carmilla only hung around dancing for a little while longer. Naturally, that left her girlfriend to dance with all of their friends, taking the occasional break to drink something and, you know, spend actual time with her date.

 

“Had enough fun, cupcake?” Carmilla asks, grabbing Laura’s hand beneath the table.

 

“I don’t know how they’re all still dancing. That’s completely impossible.” Laura groans. Out of the corner of her eye, she notices LaFontaine stop dancing and take Perry’s hand before they lead her off in the opposite direction. Through a hole in the huge crowd of people, she can see her dearest friends find an abandoned corner table and start passionately kissing, seeing as no one is really paying any attention to them. Laura’s face scrunches up, and she turns back to Carmilla. “Well, they aren’t dancing anymore. Either way, I am absolutely exhausted at this point.”

 

Carmilla leans towards Laura, bending slightly at her waist so that her cleavage becomes a little more visible to Laura, which does not go unnoticed. Laura’s cheeks burn, and she swallows hard. It feels like its been far too long since she’s kissed her girlfriend, though it’s probably only been half an hour, so she kisses Carmilla before she can say what she most likely leaned forward to say.

 

“What do you say that you and I take this outside?” Carmilla whispers into Laura’s mouth, and Laura shivers.

 

“It’s freezing outside, Carm.” Laura laughs breathily, not bothering to lean back.

 

“Then I have somewhere else in mind.” Carmilla pulls Laura up when she stands, and she leads her to the door waving over her shoulder to Danny and Kirsch, whose attention they’d grabbed when they started towards the exit. Carmilla pulls her skirt up when they’re alone outside of the Great Hall and removes her wand from what is probably a garter underneath her dress. She mentions offhandedly that should she need to protect Laura from any loitering boys throughout the halls trolling for lonely girls, she'll do just that.

 

They sneak away and up the stairs while luckily evading the gaze of any of their professors. Carmilla's fingers threaded through her own feel exactly as though they belong. A few other couples are throughout the halls lingering as well, most of them giggling and probably a little drunk (Laura's heard people like to sneak alcohol into school functions, but it's nothing she's really had interest in.) Carmilla silently leads her to a secluded spot in the astronomy tower that Laura recognizes from their first date and many other nights, where the sky is the clearest Laura’s ever seen it and where the moon is so bright and breathtaking in the way that it hits Carmilla’s face that Laura absolutely cannot. Stop. Staring.  
“I do love that you can see the sky from the ceiling in the Great Hall. It’s my favorite thing about the decor.” Carmilla has yet to peel her eyes away from the stars. “However, nothing compares to the real thing, and the view up here is absolutely beautiful.”

 

Laura doesn't say anything, mostly considering whether or not she should say "The view I get of you up here is absolutely beautiful." She takes Carmilla's hand in both of hers, and kisses it, listening to Carmilla go on and on about stars in this way that is both animated and passionate but drawling and bored as she's practiced and made perfect.  
It feels like hours that they sit there, just watching the sky, and Laura's arm rests around Carmilla's shoulders. Her hair from the ball is completely intact where it rests on Laura's shoulder, and her skin is a familiar kind of cold. It's been a few minutes since either one of them has even spoken, and Laura had decided that because of the steadying of Carmilla's breathing that her girlfriend had dozed off. She's slightly startled when Carmilla's gravelly voice fills her ears again.

 

"You know, the stars have always made me feel so small and made me feel the right kind of unimportant, where I begin to believe that all that matters are those massive lights." Carmilla pauses for a moment to press a kiss to the shoulder she's been leaning on. "I don't feel like that when I look at them with you. Nothing and no one has ever made me feel as important as you do."


End file.
